Of Coffee and Complications
by Emily Destler
Summary: Modern AU. Christine is a girl who sees the best in everyone. She lost her father after graduation. Erik is a boy who's been dealt a shitty hand. He's found someone who's kind without a catch. Meg is a friend who's only looking out. She will learn something about the cruelty of discrimination and ableism. Maybe they'll all learn something.


She walked down the poorly paved sidewalk, fingering the straps of her messenger bag idly, and paid little attention to her own surroundings. She knew the way to the coffee shop of which she worked like the back of her hand, unfortunately. It was rare that she ever used public transportation, and the dull ache she got from the daily walk never outweighed the accompaniment that often graced her on this usual route. Not only that, but she loved this part of town, and didn't see it as that much of an inconvenience, considering everything.

However, today wasn't as picture perfect as it could be. The sky was overcast, sporting an ugly atmosphere devoid of color and spirit. It was looking as if it would rain soon, but there were no sign of drops. It was enough to clear the streets however, because they were hollow, save the occasional car passing by. The sun obviously wouldn't be making any appearance today.

Christine remained alone, now thinking it quite odd. She couldn't recall the last time she had a certain someone to accompany her on the trip, at least since last week, last Thursday. The thought was somewhat concerning one, for reasons she'd never say out loud.

Out of nowhere, two hands grabbed into her shoulders from behind, and she started and gasped. She spun around to face the person who touched her, and once she finished her eyes instantly met with a pair intense amber orbs that burned back at her in today's bleak surroundings. "Erik!" She exclaimed, shrugging him off playfully and cracking a smirk. "You scared me!"

"Boo." He smiled, before going into a little chuckling fit. His eyes scanned her up and down. She was a sight for sore eyes, and his eyes had been especially sore this weekend. Erik sobered from the fun teasing her gave him and took a step back from her, purposefully give her space.

Christine marked this, and spoke up. "Oh, maybe it is a ghost... I haven't seen you in days, I thought you may have dropped off the face of the earth... Again." She giggled. Christine took the humorous route out of the situation, more for his sake than her own. "Turns out it was just another one of your little disappearing acts."

"I'm sorry," Erik replied, smiling sheepishly and looking down at his shoes.

"Don't be, it's fine."

Telling him that she was 'worried sick' like a fretful mother would have weirded him out, right? no matter how true it really was, the last thing Christine wanted was to seem overbearing. As a measure of reassurance, she grabbed his shoulder. He tensed and she let go, and then he looked up at her.

He really did have the most stunning eyes, cognac-like, shining like pure gold. Absolutely gorgeous, especially when they had that innocent tinge he often had engraved into the iris. The only thing that disrupted that cute expression was that mask.

Christine has never questioned it, seeing it as something that Erik wasn't too fond of talking about. It only covered half of his face, the right half, looked as if it was worn for some sort of medical or cosmetic purposes, but it still felt like treacherous territory. She found herself thinking about it a lot lately, but she always steered clear of mentioning it. "So, you gonna walk me to work?"

"If you still want me to."

"Of course I do!" She said enthusiastically, and took to hooking her arm around his. She smiled at him triumphantly, and confidently marched the rest of the way down the sidewalk. "So how was school today?"

"Um... it was school." Erik answered flatly.

"Yeah, I get that."

Christine remembered her senior year at high school, last year. The halls were bland, the teachers were blander. The other students there sucked, to put it simply, but Christine can't imagine what it's like for Erik. Meg, her closest friend since her earliest years, approximately a year younger than her, told her that he was an outcast at school. She could believe that, too, unfortunately. It was his mask, his shyness, and his terrible social skills. That fact was cruel. It was definitely ridiculous and childish to discriminate against someone based on how they looked and acted, but, then again, so is high school. "Anything interesting happen? Like, at all?"

"Not really." He said, then added, voice relaxed: "My life isn't exactly the glamour-fest you seem to think it is, Christine."

She smiled. "I'm just trying to get my gossip-fix. You have no idea how boring its been at the shop lately."

He chuckled ruefully. "I see."

"Yeah, you have no idea the kinds of. . ." The two of them continued to chat as they walked down the sidewalk. Christine was always the one who dominated their conversations, rambling on about how crappy her job is, not that Erik minded. He was very happy to listen, and never cared if she repeated stories or talked too much about details. This was his only dose of normalcy in his day, so he decided to stay transfixed on her lovely face and positive mood, absorbing as much as he possibly could take in before the next time he could see her. He still didn't know why she let him see her, but he was taking whatever he could until she got her head on straight and started to avoid him like everyone else.

"She sounds like a bitch." He said softly, in a silent space between Christine complaining about a barista that she worked with. Apparently this girl, Carlotta, was a pretentious snob who pushed Christine around because her father had money. Erik would have gladly pointed out to the girl that, no matter how wealthy her family was, she still worked in a shitty coffee shop earning 8 bucks an hour.

"Language, mister." The girl faux-reprimanded, tapping him tartly on the arm, before turning back and adding under her breath. "-even if it's true."

He heard the mutter, and laughed silently in spite. Christine very rarely disliked people, so it was refreshing to see her taking a stand. Not that he didn't savor how sweet she typically was to just about everyone, mostly because everyone included him.

They approached the door to that very shop they mentioned numerous times along the sidewalk, and Christine halted at it. She looked over to Erik. "This is my stop."

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Actually," she stressed the word, lips upturned to suddenly grab his hands in hers. He flinched almost barely, another thing for Christine to mark down in the 'Erik-behavior' list she made a few days after she met him. "I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie with me. Maybe around 7-ish? I really don't want to go alone."

"You... You really want me to come?" He asked her suspiciously. This was the first time he'd ever been invited by a girl. Anywhere.

"Yeah, Meg always talks through the movies and will not be satisfied until she's eaten at least 3/4 of my popcorn and wiped out the place's supply of candy. I am not doing that again."

"I-um... Yes." Erik stammered. Shaking his head and re-composing himself, he looked up at her. "I'd love to come."

"So, come around my apartment at 6:30, and we can walk?"

"Yeah." He agreed, "that-um, that'd be fine." Erik cleared his throat. Why was he acting like such a pansy?

"Good!" Christine beamed, "See you then!"

"B-bye, Christine..." But she had already walked through the door. Erik huffed out a breath, a smile creeping up on his lips. He couldn't believe he'd actually get to spend quality time with her. Oh! She was so perfect! It was like he was dreaming her up, or something. There was no way somebody could be so beautiful, and so very kind at the same time. It astonished him.

On days like these, he would usually drag himself around the shops in town in order to occupy his time better spent outside of his house. He knew all too well the alternative to wasting his time. Home meant consequences of which he did not want to deal with, not today. Funnily enough, however, instead of his usual despondent, 'I-hate-my-life' mood, this was the first time in a very long time where he felt really happy. And as a result, he found himself absently humming, something he didn't recall doing in a situation like this in a year. Sure he hummed. He hummed a lot, actually, but it was almost always a way to calm himself down when he was at home. Or in class, when he was around the people he hated, and that hated him right back-No, he thought to himself. He was in a good mood. Christine, his only friend, had invited him to a movie, and there would be no tarnishing this with unkempt thoughts rattling around in his brain. The tune seemed to force itself out of his sealed lips without his brain's say so. He stopped for a moment to figure out what it was exactly.

Is that... Is that 'The Sound of Music? He thought, bewildered. He grinned and shook his head.

Erik didn't at all pay attention to where he was going, because all he could really think about was Christine-his date with Christine... Wait. He couldn't call it a date. No way it was a date, he was just a replacement for Meg, somebody for company. Christine would never go out with somebody of his liking. Although he could make himself available to be her companion when nobody else was, and he was completely okay with that.

It was nothing more than a small friendship.

Christine Daaé would never go on a date with him!

"You're going on a date with him?"

"What?" Christine spun around to face her friend. Meg was there, her arms outstretched and eyes buldging out of their sockets. It's was so like her to jump to conclusions. "No, it isn't a date. We're going to the movies, that's it."

"Okay, first I see you've befriended my school's number one most avoided, hell, most wanted, and now I see you're going on dates with him? Jesus, Chrissy, he's a creep! Why won't you listen to me?"

Christine's eyes flared in anger, and raised a finger to point accusingly. "He isn't a creep, Meg! He's a good kid! A good kid, who's my friend." If she insulted him one more time...

"I'm just trying to protect you!" Meg shot back.

"Protect me from what?" Christine replied, incredulously. The boy was as sweet as could be, maybe a little jumpy, definitely different. By no means, at all, would she ever see him as a threat.

"Half-face psycho murderer!"

"Now you're just being dramatic."

The blonde sighed. "I'm serious, Christine." She stated, and reached up to grab her arms, wishing she could shake the chick without her going ballistic about it. Instead, she held her steadily, and tried to get through to her. "I've heard bad things... Trust me on this one."

"Bad things, yeah 'bad things,' from who, the asshole jocks and stupid other dancers on your team?" Christine shrugged our of her grip, and turned back to her bathroom mirror to finish the makeup she started.

"If you don't believe me, then you will have yourself to blame for what happens."

Christine looked up at her in the mirror, mascara bottle held tightly in her hand. "You have no idea what your talking about. Erik would never...-" she trailed off. Finally, she clicked her tongue and gave the reflection a typical look.

The younger girl was silent, staring at her friend with crossed arms. She didn't like this. At all. "If he touches you... Tries to hurt you-"

"Meg-"

"Christine, stop. You're gonna tell me right away."

"Of course I would tell you if someone were hurting me... But you won't hear about it being Erik. Besides, I'm an adult, and I can protect myself."

There was a knock at the door, Christine and Meg instantly met each other's eyes through the mirror. The mascara bottle was screwed and discarded, as Christine quickly made her way past Meg and out of the bathroom. She sprinted to the door, surprising even herself at her pace, and looked through her peephole. There he was... Christine stole a quick glance behind her. Meg had already caught up. "Be nice to him." She warned, arching an eyebrow before turning the door knob and swinging it open to face him with a teethy smile. "Erik."

"...Hi." He replied, his tone incredibly gentle, as it was usually. He was a very solemn, quiet boy. That's definitely something that she could appreciate... And when his odd golden eyes had that innocent touch to them, why would anyone ever think he could be suspicious?

"Glad you're here! Come in, don't be shy."

"I thought we identified my character in the prerequisite." Erik joked, the smile brightening his eyes, as he walked into Christine's apartment steadily. He wore an expression that the girl could stare at all day; something humbling and sheerly glad that you can nearly not see the strange mask. His smile was refreshing, but it disappeared the moment he caught sight of someone else farther down the hall, looking at him with a hard gaze. He cleared his throat nervously, his hands just slightly pulling back towards both of his sides. He was closing himself up, one of his natural habits.

"Erik, you know Meg..." Christine started, gesturing to her friend, who she knew was most likely scrutinizing the poor kid to death.

"Yeah, yes..." His glance went from to his shoes to Meg's waist multiple times, showing Christine how painfully shy he could be in certain circumstances. "Um... H-how are you?"

"Just great." She replied bitterly, still staring at him. Or, more fixedly, at his mask.

You could cut the silence in the room with a knife, pre-spread with a teaspoon of utter awkward. Erik was disoriented. He didn't expect anyone else to be here. He wasn't prepared... He would have worn another jacket, maybe a hoodie. Clothes comforted him, right? The more on, the less people are going to see of him. It worked better for all of society, including himself, and Meg. And, it just had to be Meg, right? Meg? The one at school that never cared to look his way, not even for an insult or a rude remark. Who dated all the guys in the entire grade, and heard every little thing, every rumor spread, about him from their douche-bag mouths? Great! Just great.

"I-um, wasn't expecting Meg to be over." Christine explained, turning to the boy who looked like he wanted nothing more than to run away. Erik hinted a little bit of irritation in her voice. "She came and I told her I already had plans. But she's still here because somebody doesn't understand boundaries..."

"Well, I already told my mom I was sleeping over!" Meg cried, her focus suddenly switched from her target to her best friend. "I'm crashing here tonight, so just go to the movie! I'll be in your bed watching Friends when you get back..."

"Wonderful, just what I need, you sleeping in my bed tonight. I still have those bruises from your incessant kicking! I'll probably have to sleep on the couch again-"

Erik watched their spat, only kind of interested, and only very uncomfortable.

"I do not kick!" Meg countered, cheeks pink with both anger and embarrassment.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter." Christine placated, "I guess I'll just sleep on my awful couch and get another crick in my neck like last time." Meg stuck her tongue out at the other girl, and Christine followed suit for a few seconds before looking around for her purse. When she found it, she started towards the door, Erik in tow, trying to get out of the place as quickly as possible. "Alright, we're out of here. Can you feed Lottie tonight, Meggy? Wet and dry, cans are in the pantry, bottom shelf."

"Yeah, yeah I know the drill. Text me when you're on your way back!"

There was a certain tone in Meg's voice at the end there that seemed targeted at Erik, but he shook it off as soon as the door closed behind them.

"Ready to go?" Christine breathed, looking at him squarely in the face, her bag strewn across her shoulder, pinning her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, ready." He replied.

Ready as he'll ever be.


End file.
